After last week’s Madonna blitz, which proved she is quite possibly the Ultimate Entertainer on the planet, it’s time for the rumors to start on the next big star to come and shine in the Holy Land.
Next week it is, of course, the turn of Leonard Cohen to come and blow Israeli music fans away (47,000 tickets sold in a day!), although in perhaps a more sophisticated and subtle manner compared to the Queen of Pop, but after that, there’s a big empty stage begging some star quality over the cold winter months…
And the latest rumors point to both U2 and Coldplay looking interested. Big time Israeli producer Shuki Weiss, the man behind most of the big shows in Israel, has apparently strengthened his ties with American showtime company Live Nation, especially after the recent Depeche Mode and Madonna shows.
The company from Beverly Hills look to have been impressed with the huge numbers of tickets sold for these two shows in particular (100,000 tickets for Madonna, 50,000 for Depeche Mode), and the high priced tickets that Israelis were keen to snap up.
And now those improved Israeli-American showbiz relations look like bringing some more big name performers to Israel. We might have to wait until early next summer (I’m guessing not before May), and the rumor machine will be firing on all cylinders over the coming weeks and months, but I have a strong feeling next year’s list of performers might just be even bigger and better than 2009’s.
Time to talk with the ol’ bank manager again…